It: Welcome to Derry Season 1, Episode 3
Episode 3 of It: Welcome to Derry, titled Now You See It, premiered on November 9, 2025, continuing HBO Max’s weekly release through the eight-episode first season, which ends on December 14, 2025.
Stephen King Universe Connections
This episode deepens the ties within Stephen King’s multiverse, linking the 1962 prequel events to the 1989 storyline of the Losers Club, as depicted in the 2017 film It: Chapter One. It features at least nine confirmed references to King's works.
27-Year Cycle Mythology
The show follows King’s well-known 27-year cycle, where Pennywise awakens, feeds, and returns to hibernation. By setting the story exactly 27 years before the children first face the creature in 1989, the series highlights how earlier traumas shaped Derry’s supernatural history.
Cold War and Military Plotline
General Shaw’s Operation Precept subplot reveals the military's attempt during the Cold War to weaponize Pennywise. This adds another layer, showing the government’s awareness of the entity decades before the Losers Club's discovery.
According to Radio Times, the 27-year cycle "positions the narrative exactly 27 years before the children first encounter the entity in 1989."
Summary
The third episode of It: Welcome to Derry intricately weaves Stephen King’s multiverse, exploring the origins of Pennywise's terror and the government’s secret involvement decades before the Losers Club's battle.